Lieutenant General (Ret.) Karen H. Gibson to deliver the opening keynote

📅 October 20, 2026, in Kursaal Bern (add the conference to your calendar)

Seeing the Shadows: Securing What You Don’t Control

We are proud to announce that U.S. Lieutenant General (Ret.) Karen H. Gibson will be the opening keynote speaker at Swiss Cyber Storm 2026. The title of her keynote is “Seeing the Shadows: Securing What You Don’t Control.”
  
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Karen Gibson served as the 42nd Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. Senate from 2021 to 2025. Appointed in the wake of the January 6 attack on the Capitol, she was the Senate’s chief law enforcement, protocol and security officer, and led the overhaul of its physical security, continuity of government and cybersecurity programs, including the protection of 450 Senate offices across the United States.

Drawing on her experience safeguarding every aspect of the U.S. Senate’s operations and a career spanning military intelligence and cyber operations, Karen Gibson explores a fundamental challenge for cyber defenders: protecting what you cannot always see or control. From legacy systems and forgotten technology to workforce practices and third-party dependencies, she examines how hidden vulnerabilities accumulate — and what leaders can do to better understand risk, strengthen resilience, and protect the mission.

Karen H. Gibson is an exceptional speaker who will deliver an exclusive keynote at Swiss Cyber Storm – a keynote that won't be filmed on a topic she developed especially for our audience.

Read more about Karen H. Gibson here.

The full conference schedule is available
here.

Swiss Cyber Storm 2026 takes place on October 20 at the Kursaal Bern under the motto “Shadow IT” – when employees work around corporate policies to get things done, and what that means for security and compliance. Artificial intelligence — not just in the form of Shadow AI — will also receive ample attention, alongside other current topics.

Further information on the conference is available on our website.

Batman and Robin in the Shadow Empire

It is the year 2003, and Batman and his trusted sidekick, Robin, are en route to meet with Big Pharma in Basel. Their mission is to rescue middle management from their self-inflicted pain. On our blog, Christian Folini, the program chair of Swiss Cyber Storm, shares an early adventure that led him into the realm of shadow IT.

More in our blog

The Business Partners of Swiss Cyber Storm

AWS
baseVISION
BFH
glueckkanja
InfoGuard
ManageEngine
Open Systems
Securosys
Swiss Post Cybersecurity
Swisscom
Temet

Upcoming events of our community partners

  • October 15, Swiss CyberSecurity: New Perspectives in Identity Management | Geneva
    The Identity Graph: Building Unified Visibility Across Users, Machines, APIs, and SaaS Sprawl

    Go to the website
  • November 5–6, Black Alps 2026 | Yverdon-les-Bains
    A must-attend event in Switzerland, the Black Alps conference is a hot spot for cybersecurity professionals and enthusiasts. The event allows you to discuss the latest threats, mitigations and advances in cybersecurity. The program includes a variety of keynotes and technical talks, networking dinners and an ethical hacking contest (CTF).

    Go to the website

  • November 25, SIGS 29th SOC Forum | Zurich
    VSHELL – Tracking your State Actor, Red Team Exercise, Spead of Threat, Making AI a Strategic Partner, LLMs to Transform Cyber Threat Intelligence and more.

    Go to the website
  • January 13, 2027, ISSS Berner Tagung | Bern
    Diskutieren Sie mit Expertinnen und Experten über die Zukunft des digitalen Vertrauens, digitale Souveränität, Quantencomputing und den Schutz kritischer Infrastrukturen.

    Go to the website

  • February 1–5, 2027, Insomni'hack 2027 | Lausanne
    Insomni'hack is a Swiss cybersecurity conference and hacking contest founded and organized by Orange Cyberdefense Switzerland. True to its long standing community-oriented DNA, the event fosters collaboration and knowledge-sharing, making it an invaluable experience for anyone interested in cybersecurity and hacking in general. Whether you're a seasoned expert or just beginning your journey into cybersecurity, Insomni'hack offers a welcoming environment to learn, compete, and grow!

    Go to the website

Community partners